1/ Beijing just put out a white paper defending itself against overcapacity charges. It's worth reading — not because it settles the debate, but because it shows how much work that one phrase has been doing for the West, and how differently we should be treating its parts.

How are the #EU and #Canada approaching #Chinese investment in the electric vehicle sector? 🔋 🚗 In a new paper, @katelogan.bsky.social and Taylah Bland compare how both are navigating this industrial policy question and what observations can be made.

Plugging In, Charging Ahead: Comparing EU and Canadian Approaches to Chinese Investment in the Electric Vehicle Sector

Kate Logan and Taylah Bland explore how the European Union and Canada are navigating Chinese investment in the electric vehicle sector.

asiasociety.org

This might be one of the funniest chart about energy scenarios I’ve seen. You can hardly see “actual” for gas

Energy disruptions from the Middle East conflict are reshaping conversations about energy security across South and Southeast Asia. Watch Atul Arya, @katelogan.bsky.social, Sam Reynolds, and @faamer.bsky.social explore the challenges and what's next.

After the Shock: Rethinking Energy Security in Asia

YouTube video by Asia Society

youtu.be

'Oil and gas price spikes are doing what decades of climate diplomacy struggled to achieve'

The Threat of Unrest Is Decarbonizing the Global South

Oil and gas price spikes are doing what decades of climate diplomacy struggled to achieve.

foreignpolicy.com

I see a lot of charts everyday. Few make me go: THIS IS CRAZY. www.carbonbrief.org/ai-boom-mean...

New on SHIFT KEY: @jeremywallace.bsky.social and @katelogan.bsky.social went to the Beijing Auto Show and came away impressed with cars on the high and low end of the market and everything in between. Hear them in conversation with @robinsonmeyer.bsky.social: podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/s...

This Year’s Beijing Auto Show Has a Lesson for Trump

Podcast Episode · Shift Key with Robinson Meyer · May 15 · 47m

podcasts.apple.com

🌐 NEW | Analysis: Global fossil power generation fell in March after Hormuz closure due to solar & wind growth ⚠️ Fall in gas-fired generation offset by large increases in solar & wind power, not coal w/CREA's @laurimyllyvirta.bsky.social energyandcleanair.org/fossil-power...

I’m loving all the people arguing now that Pakistan’s solar boom was inevitable and obvious, but nothing comparable could happen in other countries in future. It wasn’t obvious in 2022, when Pakistan saw no role for solar in fixing the energy import dependencies that had just sent it to the IMF! 🧵

My new piece tries to make sense of how the fantasy Axis of [Something Bad] caught on in DC despite being very silly. China seems weak because it can’t defend the (imaginary) Axis, so the Blob thinks that open aggression could work if they were at the helm. responsiblestatecraft.org/axis-of-auth...

‘Axis of cope’: What happens when they learn all the wrong lessons?

Now that things haven't gone quite as planned, watch Washington hawks dial it up more, this time against China

responsiblestatecraft.org

China is highly dependent on Middle Eastern oil and gas. But its pivot to electrification and clean energy is helping protect the country from the fallout of the war in Iran.

China’s Clean Energy Push Has Made It Less Vulnerable to Energy Shocks, Including the Iran War - Inside Climate News

As countries scramble to secure oil, gas and fertilizer, China’s bets on clean energy and coal are cushioning its dependence on oil and gas imports.

insideclimatenews.org

In the latest webinar from ASPI and @creacleanair.bsky.social @katelogan.bsky.social and @laurimyllyvirta.bsky.social joined Qi Qin and @belindaschaepe.bsky.social to unpack China’s new targets, the coal pipeline challenge, and what to expect in the years ahead. 🌏⚡️

China’s 15th Five-Year Plan: Implications for the Climate and Energy Transition

YouTube video by Asia Society

youtu.be

Great piece! US natsec fixation is a big obstacle here: easy to get excited about strategic goods like chips/critical minerals but hard to focus on health of the larger production ecosystem. And alarm about falling behind, instead of driving better policy, finds outlet in geopolitical aggression.

Jonas Nahm@jonasnahm.com · 5mo ago

China automates while America hesitates. I have a piece in the NYT today arguing that America's strategy to compete with China in manufacturing is fundamentally misconceived — and that we're heading toward a reckoning we're not prepared for. 1/ www.nytimes.com/2026/02/24/o...

We are thrilled to issue the call for applications (global.upenn.edu/future-of-us...) for our fourth fellowship cohort, made possible by generous support from @carnegie.org and the Henry Luce Foundation. Applications are due March 17.

This @nytopinion.nytimes.com op-ed on rare earths repeats a misleading story: that China dominates these industries mainly because of lax labor and environmental standards. It sounds intuitive, but it’s analytically wrong in ways that matter for policy. 1/ www.nytimes.com/2026/02/06/o...

Opinion | America’s Rare-Earths Solution Is Hiding in Plain Sight

nytimes.com

Canada and the EU are rethinking their approaches to Chinese clean tech. Meanwhile, some US firms are still seeking it out, despite myriad barriers. My takeaway in @thehill.com: for the US, full decoupling from China’s advanced tech is neither practical nor competitive. thehill.com/opinion/inte...

New from us - captive coal power plant projects linked to energy intensive industrial plants keep proliferating in Indonesia, jeopardizing the country's targets for coal phase out and net zero emissions, while also messing up energy planning.

#indonesia #coal #nickel #cleanenergy #cleanair | Centre for Research on Energy and Clean Air (CREA)

🇮🇩 NEW | REPORT - Out of sight, out of control: 31 GW of captive coal is jeopardizing Indonesia's economic and emissions goals 🚨Indonesia’s operational & planned captive coal now triples 2023’s capa...

linkedin.com

Centre for Research on Energy and Clean Air@creacleanair.bsky.social · 6mo ago

🇮🇩 NEW | REPORT - #Indonesia’s operational & planned #captivecoal now triples 2023’s capacity, eclipses Australia’s current total coal fleet, and ties with Germany’s entire operating fleet w/ @globalenergymon.bsky.social Report now available ⤵️

Great piece. A related point I've heard recently is that, in contrary to most countries, China's domestic weakness (involution) is a strength internationally (more exports and influence) - but also makes its domestic prosperity and resilience even more dependent on overseas markets.

Jeremy Wallace@jeremywallace.bsky.social · 7mo ago

New post: thechinalab.substack.com/p/hot-cheap-...

Interestingly, the USMCA contemplated the possibility of a member entering a free trade agreement w/ China. If any member did (and MX was seen as a much more likely suspect than CA), then the other two could cut them out of the USMCA. (But the current Canada-China negotiations aren't about an FTA)

Bloomberg News@bloomberg.com · 6mo ago

Donald Trump threatened Canada with 100% tariffs against all its exports to the US if it makes a trade deal with China.

NEW: I tracked all Chinese lithium battery factories announced or built in the past decade 𝗼𝘂𝘁𝘀𝗶𝗱𝗲 China's borders. The truth is, companies like CATL & BYD are so technologically advanced that there's little international competition. European and Asian countries are welcoming them with open arms.

The Board of Trustees of Asia Society announced today that the Honorable Kevin Rudd (@mrkrudd.bsky.social), Australia’s Ambassador to the United States, will return to lead the Asia Society from its global headquarters in New York on March 31, 2026.

“Alternative technologies from Japan, Europe and South Korea were assessed but deemed substantially more expensive and less competitive for large-scale deployment in India, the people said.”

Lili Pike@lilipike.bsky.social · 7mo ago

"Those talks stalled after the Chinese company withdrew from the proposed partnership amid Beijing’s curbs on overseas technology transfers in key sectors, the people said." www.bloomberg.com/news/article...

Ford is doubling down on its partnership with Chinese battery giant CATL to make grid-scale batteries. Could it be the industrial policy solution the US needs to cut reliance on Chinese imports? 🎁 link: www.bloomberg.com/news/article...

Why Ford Is Expanding Its Partnership With Top Chinese Battery Maker

An existing deal with CATL will allow the US automaker to tap into the growing demand for utility-grade batteries.

bloomberg.com

The Paris Agreement turns 10 today, and Asia’s next decade will be decisive.🌏 See what our experts Li Shuo, @katelogan.bsky.social, @faamer.bsky.social, @taylahbland.bsky.social, Nishtha Singh & Betty Wang say about the region’s progress, remaining gaps, and priorities for the years ahead.

What the Paris Agreement has Achieved for Asia, What Gaps Remain?

As the Paris Agreement marks its 10th year, Asia’s experience reveals how much the region has changed, and what still must shift.

asiasociety.org

New from me: How can China meet its 2030 emission commitments after falling badly off track? The country will have to very substantially overachieve its clean energy targets and limit plans for runaway expansion of coal power & petrochemical expansion in the next 5-yr plan.

Can China turn its #cleanenergy dominance into green #softpower? In a new compilation from @asiapolicy.asiasociety.org, I attempt to parse how China’s cleantech sectors plan to sustain rapid growth while navigating geopolitical pressures in 2026: asiasociety.org/policy-insti...

Asia Society Policy Institute (ASPI)@asiapolicy.asiasociety.org · 8mo ago

🚨 NEW from ASPI: China 2026: What to Watch. #CCA is back with its flagship report framing 12 key dilemmas that will shape Beijing’s outlook in the new year – from economic shifts and CCP legitimacy to climate and the Taiwan Strait. Read now: asiasociety.org/China2026

Indonesia backpedals on retiring Cirebon coal power plant early reut.rs/4pt2F52

Indonesia backpedals on retiring Cirebon coal power plant early

Indonesia is unlikely to move forward with a plan to retire the Cirebon-1 coal power plant early, although it is reviewing other coal-fired plants for early shutdown, its chief economic minister said on Friday.

reut.rs

China has little incentive to position itself as a climate leader and risk assuming 'climate finance' obligations But China is still channelling large sums into climate-relevant projects around the world @katelogan.bsky.social + Lily Hartzell explain backchannel1.substack.com/p/chinas-del...

China’s Delicate Dance on Climate Finance

When it comes to China’s role in accelerating climate finance and the global clean energy transition, the world is grappling with several competing realities.

backchannel1.substack.com

* Data centres are (still) not even close to the biggest source of electricity demand growth out to 2030 (but they're a big factor in the US)

“In 2024, China exported around $177 billion worth of clean technologies, and is set to exceed $200 billion in 2025.” - @katelogan.bsky.social, @asiapolicy.asiasociety.org + Center for China Analysis